


I Will Show You

by AyotliKestrel



Series: Stray [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Domestic, Families of Choice, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Victuri, bit of angst, their tiny angry son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-08-23 17:45:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8337010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyotliKestrel/pseuds/AyotliKestrel
Summary: “I think Viktor wants you to truly find and understand both Agape itself and what it means to skate with emotion behind it. Like I said I can’t stop you from going back to your old coach if that is really what you want, but you have a place here Yuri, with us. I can teach you more about Agape, and you could show me how to land that quad salchow again; sound good?”Yuri scowled, but spit out, “Fine! I’ll stay, but do me a favor alright?”“What?” Yuuri asked, tilting his head in confusion.“Would you and Viktor just freaking make out or something already? Because dear god I can’t take it!” And with that Yuuri was pretty sure he turned beet red from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.





	1. Chasing Snowflakes

***I Will Show You***

Chapter One  
Chasing Snowflakes

Yuuri ran, faster than he did when training to lose weight; putting heart and soul into every step. He had to get there, reach the goal in time. He just couldn’t be late. His only advantage was experience, knowing these streets and alleys like the back of his hand while his target did not.

Yuri was leaving, angry and frustrated he hadn’t even watched the end of the Onsen on Ice event. If it wasn’t for Yuuko spying his retreating form it might have really been too late. Even as it was it had taken far more time than it should have for word to get to Yuuri and Viktor that the younger skater was attempting to flee without a word. 

Before stopping to think or worry about what the reaction meant, Yuuri was out and running after him while Viktor distracted the crowd. 

No matter how determined the person was, a plane ticket did not magically appear. Surely a fifteen-year-old could not get from one country to another without getting held up at least a little? He had to have had some help to get to Japan in the first place, hopefully he would have to get that same help in order to get home.

Finally, he found him, a miserable pile of desolate angst sitting on the pier staring out at the water; leopard print suitcase pulled to his chest. 

Yuuri lowered down to sit next to the blond teen, tired from his breakneck run to find him, and didn’t speak at all.

It didn’t take long at all for the expected explosion to come from Yuri, “What do you want!” He growled, all while puffing up and glaring darkly. 

Yuuri had long enough to think during his search, he felt comfortable enough to speak calmly. “If you are really set on leaving, I can’t stop you and more importantly I won’t. It’s your choice. I just want you to know you don’t have to. If you want to stay here, you can.”

“Why the hell would I stay? I lost! He’s coaching you, he wouldn’t waste his time on me!” More resentment and rage packed itself into those words than Yuuri had ever imagined, but all the same, he kept going.

“Then what has this last week been?” He pointed out, a little less calm, but still just as sure of his words. “I think Viktor could teach us both, he already has been. That was probably the point of switching up the music. I really liked the Agape piece, it was beautiful, and more my rhythm, but he gave it to you. It was you who wanted the fast and confident Eros.”

Slowly, very slowly, he could see Yuri start to listen to him, even if it was in preparation to start yelling at him, but Yuuri would take advantage of whatever little bit of trust he could gain. “Viktor wanted to throw us BOTH out of our comfort zones, and it worked. It wasn’t until yesterday that I had any idea how to skate my Eros arrangement properly. You figured out Agape much faster than I figured out Eros, it came to you that day in the waterfall, all the practices after that had a special beauty to them. The way you skated today was flawless, you jump much better than I do, always have really. I think it’s safe to say you were born to fly.”

That was all the further he got before Yuri exploded again, “Well it didn’t do me a damn bit of good did it! I lost it half-way through, it was rushed and awkward. Everything Viktor warned me about not doing, I went ahead and did anyway! That’s why I lost. You listened to him, I didn’t.” He growled and yelled, frustration, rage, and yearning so deep down it was raw and obvious, like a wound. 

“Yuri, when you skate, who do you skate for?” The question was quiet, but it did its job of stemming the tide. 

The teen was taken aback and just blinked dumbly for a moment before answering like Yuuri was the most idiotic person on the planet. “Myself. I skate for me, and to win.”

Yuuri’s expression changed to a soft smile, “And when you skated Agape in practice, who were you thinking about then?”

Redness crept up Yuri’s ears, betraying his blush, “My grandpa.” 

“That’s why your skating was so beautiful.” Yuuri observed, “He must have loved you very much, if he inspired you to want to show him that. Agape is both simple and hard to explain because it is everywhere, and yet some people are overflowing with it just as others have an abundance of Eros. I am lucky because I grew up surrounded by Agape, my parents and sister, they love with everything they have and take care of everyone in need of being taken care of, all without expecting anything in return. For me it is harder to understand the confidence and selfishness that is Eros. I don’t know what it is like to love because you expect to be loved in return, I just don’t get it, that isn’t how love worked around me.”

“You understood what in the hell Viktor was talking about with Eros and Agape!?!” Yuri exclaimed indignantly.

“The words themselves, yes,” Yuuri admitted, “It was the feeling of Eros I was missing, not the definition. If I had known you were struggling with that part I would have helped you, I am not that cruel.”

“Viktor is,” Yuri grumbled, curling over his suitcase again and reminding Yuuri why he had been chasing him in the first place. 

Yuuri looked out the corner of his eye at his rival? Friend? Rink mate? “Honestly, I don’t think he meant to drive you that insane. Agape is easy for me to define because it’s the one I’m most familiar with, I’m not so sure with him. He might not have been able to answer your question for the simple reason he is far more Eros than Agape himself.”

“Then why make me do it, or even consider skating it himself?” Less anger, more frustrated confusion, but at least he wasn’t high tailing it to the airport, so Yuuri was holding out some hope he was getting through to him. 

“Viktor likes to surprise, if he did the Eros routine it suits him, but it wouldn’t shock anyone the way a more innocent piece would.” Yuuri had realized that as soon as he heard the two arrangements for the short program. “I think Viktor wants you to truly find and understand both Agape itself and what it means to skate with emotion behind it. I meant it, putting your love into the routine changed a flawless performance into something unforgettable. I want to see it again, and again. Like I said I can’t stop you from going back to your old coach if that is really what you want, but you have a place here Yuri, with us. I can teach you more about Agape, and you could show me how to land that quad salchow again; sound good?”

Yuri scowled, but spit out, “Fine! I’ll stay, but do me a favor alright?”

“What?” Yuuri asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Would you and Viktor just freaking make out or something already? Because dear god I can’t take it!” And with that Yuuri was pretty sure he turned beet red from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.


	2. Coming Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A relaxing soak in the Onsen allows for much needed communication.

***I Will Show You***

Chapter Two  
Coming Down

Both skaters were tired and strung out from nerves and emotion, Yuuri knew no better cure for such a thing than a nice long soak in the hot spring back home. It was a calming relief to be greeted by happy barks and enthusiastic sniffing from Makkachin as the gigantic poodle made a valiant effort to come knock them over. The very spoiled dog was not used to being alone, and the Onsen had been closed for the day so Yuuri’s family could come watch him skate. 

They gave the dog some of the attention she had missed out on while they got ready for their bath and were soon sinking into hot soothing water. It relaxed away the chill from the ice and let them forget about the pressure of competition. 

Yuuri did not expect the younger skater to break the silence first, “If I had skated Eros, would I have won?” The question was not one he would have expected either.

“I wasn’t judging, Viktor was, you know him better than I do.” Yuuri reminded as a way of buying time to think on the actual question. There was no easy answer, so he tried to break it down piece by piece as best he could, “The pace of Eros suits you, but your skating has always been eye catching so it doesn’t need the help of sensuality to keep an audience focused on solely you. My skating is quieter; it isn’t fancy or dramatic the way yours or Viktor’s is; I can’t land the jumps you do. Technically speaking you were better than me tonight, don’t think I don’t know that. What made the difference was what the challenge was, we weren’t competing over the difficulty of the routine, not really. It was how well we portrayed the theme. I skated Eros with something very specific in my thoughts, it carried me through the program even when I almost fell. I could see in your skating that you felt your Agape in the beginning but lost it towards the middle, so I would rather you tell me what you think, would you have had a better chance at keeping Eros or Agape in your mind the whole time?”

Yuri sunk to the bridge of his nose in the water, blond hair floating on the surface as he thought. “I… Don’t know.” He slowly admitted, “I’ve never tried to compete while thinking of something other than skating.”

“That isn’t the trick to it, not exactly,” Yuuri corrected, this time expecting the angry huff from the Russian. “The point of this wasn’t to stop thinking about skating, but to show the emotion through it. Each turn, jump, and spin can mean something, show what you’re feeling to the person you want to reach. Haven’t you ever tried to tell a story while you’re on the ice?”

“No, why would I do that!” The gruff dismissal was coupled with Yuri bodily turning away from him, so he couldn’t look him in the eyes. The rage was quick to burn out though and he reluctantly filled in more, “Only ever cared about tempo and rhythm.” 

Yuuri was quick to assure, “And that isn’t a bad thing when learning to skate, just like learning to dance, but I have a much better idea now what Viktor was up to with this whole thing. I was wondering why he was wasting his time on me when he had someone with so much potential waiting to be taught right there in Russia. I don’t think he forgot his promise at all, everything was just a tad too convenient on how and when he revealed where he was. I mean you discovered us the exact day I was able to come back on the ice. He WANTED you to find us, and set up this challenge. You needed to learn this next level of skating, but it isn’t something you can do on your own.”

“Why not just tell me then?!” It wasn’t like Yuuri couldn’t understand his frustration, he could, but a short conversation surfaced. 

“At last year’s Grand Prix Final I overheard Viktor talking to you, I heard him say Yuri and for some dumb reason thought he was talking to me, but that’s not important, was is important is what he said. He was trying to tell you something about your step sequences only you didn’t listen to him, only concentrated on the fact you had won. Sound familiar?” Yuuri knew he was stepping on toes, but a sore foot was a small price to pay for an epiphany like the one crossing Yuri’s face in that moment. 

“Damn it!” He exploding, raking a hand through his wet hair, “This is all my fault. He was trying to tell me this whole time!”

“You were quite the stubborn child Yurio.” Since neither of them expected to be interrupted with the Inn closed the playful voice was shocking and had them jumping. 

Of course it was just Viktor, grinning broadly at the pair of them with a towel draped nonchalantly over his very naked torso. Did Yuuri mention the naked part?! One of these days that exhibitionist tendency was going to give him a heart attack. 

His luck did not hold out when Yuri heard his involuntary and near pained whimper at the approaching freaking Adonis. “Dude, breathe.” The teen elbowed him hard enough it was either break his gaze or risk drowning as he floundered in the shallow bath. 

Viktor had the audacity to be concerned by the near death that was all his fault, “Are you alright Yuuri?”

“Fine!” He squeaked, wondering where in the heck all his confidence had got to since he was on the ice. 

“Well that’s good, and I see you found our little lost kitten,” Viktor turned that megawatt smile onto the younger Yuri and sunk into the bath between them, and arm draped around each, rubbing their checks. 

Yuuri didn’t think he’d ever met a more tactile person in his life, and he was including Minako. 

Yuri though was distinctly not happy with such treatment, and was shoving Viktor off with a growl and all the force his slim body could offer. He didn’t earn the moniker the Russian Fairy for being overly large, but being the Russian Punk kinda made up for it.

Viktor just laughed and made a big splash wrapping both arms around Yuuri from the side, clinging like a limpet, and complaining how Yuri was being pouty again.

Okay if just seeing Viktor’s naked body was enough to stop his breathing, having it pressed along him was enough to completely short circuit his poor brain. He couldn’t think, let alone speak or move.

Yuri saved him from the risk of combustion by giving Viktor the same elbow treatment he’d given Yuuri hissing out, “Can you please at least wait to flirt until the fifteen-year-old is NOT right next to you?”

“Who’s flirting, I’m just enjoying being with my two favorite Yuris?!” Viktor said anything but innocently. 

The look on Yuri’s face was one that spoke of being just so done with Viktor’s shit it made Yuuri hide a smile, “I’ve known you since I was twelve, give me a little credit would you? I’ve seen you flirt your way out of trouble more times than I can count. Not like that guy doesn’t basically have a shrine to you in his bedroom anyway.”

Viktor was both amused and curious at this, turning to confirm the ruby red blush on Yuuri that there was no mistaking. 

“How did you know?” Yuuri wanted to die, just sink to the bottom of the Onsen and die a valiant death because Viktor was looking all kinds of mischievous at this new information. 

“Mari told me, in case I needed blackmail.” Yuri admitted with an easy shrug, the betrayal on the brunette obvious. 

“My own sister likes you more than me,” He stated numbly. 

Viktor stopped his chuckles long enough to speak, “That’s his charm. He’s tiny and cute, so gets away with murder. Hopefully not literally, but well…”

“Hey!” The objection was loud and angry, but Yuuri didn’t feel any of the intimidation he had the first time he met the young skater at the Gran Prix Finals. 

“See what I mean?” Viktor teased again.

“You know what?! I am not cute and it’s not like I asked to be tiny...” And from there Yuri went on a very impressive rant that Viktor just sat through patiently with nothing but a serine smile. There was so much more to the words than what was on the surface it was Yuri working out pain, frustration, guilt, fear, doubt, and worry. He needed a place that was safe and comfortable after his loss to let go, and he found it here with Viktor and Yuuri, so when he had enough prompting he stopped fighting the tide of emotions and the dam burst. 

They let him vent and rage as much as he needed while it was still the three of them. All athletes who knew what it was like to stand at the top, or the bottom, to give your all and not be enough. To feel like everything they have been up to now is being questioned by people who’ve never met them. Viktor and Yuuri were nearing the end of their competitive careers, theirs was a sport for the young, but for Yuri his was just starting. 

When he was finally all yelled out, Viktor was able to speak to him again, clasping his shoulder in comfort. “Yuri you did well today. You’ve found the thing you were missing and now you need to learn how to incorporate it. You were the best you’ve ever been tonight, but the point was you could be better once you find and hold onto your Agape.” 

Once he managed to get a small smile and nod of assent from the mentally and physically exhausted Yuri, he turned to Yuuri who was struggling to hold in his cooing over how gentle Viktor was being with the young skater. It was so sweet to see him mentoring Yuri when the adoration was so apparent. 

He was not prepared for Viktor’s fingertips to graze along his jaw and settle on his chin, lifting his head until they could look match their gazes, just the smallest graze of skin compared to the full body tackle from earlier, but he swore he felt something sizzle at the point of contact. “Yuuri, you worried me a bit there. I could see flashes in your practices but nothing that had me sold that you understood Eros. Something happened in the last twenty-four hours that changed how you moved, and it was perfect. You won tonight by not just showing me any type of Eros, but by showing me YOUR Eros. Just like the first video I watched of you skating, you took what I gave you and made it your own; not flawless but beautiful all the same. Tell me, what did you do?”

Yuuri was not embarrassed, not when Viktor was touching him so softly, speaking to him gently, and he was surrounded by trust; even Yuri was doing a horrible job at pretending not to listen. “Instead of being the playboy who came in to break hearts and leave, I was the woman who seduced the playboy into staying.” He admitted. 

This time, when Viktor laughed, the mirth was real and full and filled the Onsen with the sound, “You turned my own routine against me, huh? Even when skating Eros, there was still some Agape in you.”

“Wait, what?!” Yuri gave away his eavesdropping by spluttering. 

“What do you know about Eros?” Viktor asked, honestly curious rather than dismissive.

“You said it was the type of love devoted to sex, Yuuri said it was selfish and confident.” That was easy enough. 

Viktor nodded, “All true, but there is another part to Eros, and that’s impulsiveness. The playboy analogy Yuuri is using is a good one not just because of the sexual undertones, but also because of the element of mystery. When is the lead going to get bored and wander off to the next town? Agape is selfless and humble, but another of its qualities is patience. The woman patiently planning and waiting for the playboy to fall for her, to stay for her, that is the element of Agape within the Eros of Yuuri’s story.”

“I didn’t want him to leave,” Yuuri didn’t mean for the comment to be overheard, but judging by the sudden silence, he was. 

“….And on that note, I’m going to bed. Don’t you forget your promise Yuuri.” With that the youngest of the trio rose from the Onsen, grabbed his towel, and left a blushing Yuuri and curious Viktor. 

“Going to fill me in?” Viktor asked hopefully, looking at the still very red Yuuri.

“Ah, well it’s just…” He couldn’t talk now that he was alone with the very tempting skater, the still very naked skater.

An easy laugh and smooth motion had Viktor sliding up next to him, “Yuuri, your Eros was beautiful thank you for showing me.” Viktor’s hand was back on his jaw, and Yuuri couldn’t breathe again, but he felt himself leaning forward and closing his eyes without thinking.

A quiet whisper reached his ears, “Congratulations,” Then soft warm lips met his own and all thought stopped.


	3. Next to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something soft and fluffy to get me back into writing again

***I Will Show You***

Chapter Three  
Next to Me

Yuuri couldn’t breathe, much less move or think. Viktor’s lips were firm and a bit chapped from being at the cold rink all day, but his skin was warm and smooth from the steamy bath; a detail Yuuri felt more clearly when strong arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

It was a sweet thing, short and innocent, only a few seconds long in truth but lasted what felt like an eternity.

Yuuri’s eyes were blown wide with surprise, while Viktor’s were closed in satisfied contentment when they pulled apart. Yuuri’s voice was hesitant and hazy, “…What was that?”

“Your reward for conquering Eros,” Viktor grinned, bright and shining like the god Yuuri had always thought he was. “Was I in the wrong there?” Through the blanket of confidence, there was a small vulnerable part of the Russian that feared the answer.

“No, never!” Yuuri spluttered to answer as quickly as possible, “I liked it.” He admitted softly, his nervousness far more obvious than Viktor’s. 

No matter how shy the words were, Viktor lit up in delight. “Now, that’s what I like to hear.” He near chirrped, simply much too pleased with himself to speak normally. “So… Can I do it again?”

Yuuri nodded with a blush he couldn’t control, heart beating out of his chest as Viktor sealed their lips together again. 

Simple, sweet, and perfect, they took their time exploring each other; curiosity helping to combat hesitancy. 

If it were just the two of them in their own little universe they might have stayed like that for hours, but somewhere in the back of Yuuri’s mind he remembered that this little slice of privacy would only last until his family returned. Well that, and their stomachs reminding them they had yet to eat. It was normal to eat lightly the day of a competition, they needed energy without being weighed down, so now they were starving; particularly Yuuri who’d burned so much energy competing and then chasing after Yuri. 

The close intimacy continued even after leaving the Onsen, they carefully dried each other off and slid the waiting yukatas over their shoulders, Viktor stealing another kiss while draping the soft fabric gently onto Yuuri. 

The spell was not broken until they reached the kitchen, normally pristine under Yuuri’s father’s care. His mother was the ultimate hostess serving their guests and masterminding maintenance of the Inn, but it was his father who took care of the food and alcohol, keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes and preparing the family recipes. The katsudon though, that was his mother’s recipe gotten from her side of the family. 

The state the room was in now was one that Yuuri could only imagine his father either crying or laughing over, maybe both. It was an absolute wreck of flour and spices, ingredients strewn over counters and island. In the middle of the tornado was Yuri, looking pleased with himself, putting a pan of something Yuuri couldn’t identify into the oven. It was quite honestly the happiest Yuuri had ever seen the teen, and it almost made up for the wrecked kitchen, almost.

Viktor found his voice while Yuuri was still attempting to take in the full scene, “What in the hell happened here?” 

The guilty flush creeping up Yuri’s face at the realization he’d been caught was quickly covered up with a haughty pout. “Pirozhki, my grandpa’s recipe, I was hungry.” 

Yuuri saw the defensive posture of the younger, and felt any irritation melt away. He stepped fully into the kitchen, “Well, can’t really fault you for cooking in that case. Tell you what, you share and I’ll help you clean up.”

“But, Yuuri!!!” Viktor whined, “You’re going to spoil him!”

“Oh just look at him, I can’t be mad at someone trying to feed themselves. Dad won’t be too happy with the state of the kitchen, but well, Yuuko, Takeshi and I made a few messes in our time here so you could say I’ve had practice cleaning up mistakes.” Yuuri admitted, a little smile shown towards Yuri, who seemed to be debating the offer while looking longingly at his creations.

“Well, alright, as long as you really mean you’ll help!” Yuri’s tiredness won out over stubbornness. It would be nice not to have to clean up all this by himself. His grandpa had tried to get his messy cooking style sorted out before, but none of the lessons stuck and now it was more or less a running joke between them. 

“They already smell good, so I’m sure they’ll be worth the wait.” Yuuri complimented with a smile at the preening teen.

Viktor must subscribe to the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ philosophy, because he interrupted them with a smile, “I’ll be the judge of that!” 

A snarl came from the youngest followed by a huffy, “Don’t you think you’ve done enough judging for one day?” 

“Oh come on Yura, it’s pirozhki, they’re my favorite!” He looked crestfallen, almost like a kicked puppy. 

The glare got darker, “Don’t give me that Viktor, EVERYTHING is your favorite when it suits you.” 

“Well, maybe, but these really are my favorite,” He seemed to be seriously worried Yuri was going to hold out on him. 

Yuri glared at the elder Russian suspiciously, “And are YOU going to be helping with the clean up?” 

“I’ll supervise,” He responded with a broad grin, letting out a grunt of pain when Yuri kicked him in the shin. “Hey, not the legs.” He griped at the teen while rubbing at the sore spot.

“That’s enough you two,” Yuuri interjected right when it looked like the blond was puffing up in anger ready to release a tirade. “We’d better at least start cleaning up now if we want to get done before my dad gets home to see this mess, and Viktor it is only fair that we help him if he lets us have some of what he made.”

Both Russian’s submitted to Yuuri’s words, the younger because he wanted the help and didn’t care how he got it, and Viktor because there probably wasn’t much he wouldn’t do if Yuuri asked him to.

With the three of them working together it didn’t take long to tackle the mountain of mess, Yuuri directing the other two in finding where everything went while he devoted himself to scrubbing the pile of dishes in the sink. By the time everything was put back in its proper place, the timer was going off and Yuri triumphantly pulled the pan of beautiful golden pirozhkis out of the oven.

“They look perfect,” Viktor approved, practically salivating already at the sight of his favorite food. 

Yuuri had left three clean plates out for them to use, and was busy helping Yuri carefully transfer the piping hot pastries from pan to plate. The teen far less grumbly about sharing now that the elder had proven true to his word and even gotten Viktor to help too. It made Yuuri wonder just how many times he’d been conned by false promises to be so paranoid, but considering Yuri had just flown half way around the world chasing Viktor down because of a broken promise he was willing to bet it happened pretty often.

The first bite of crusted dough filled with seasoned beef and mushrooms was pure bliss, despite the burned tongue from impatience. There was no talking as the three people were far too busy eating to notice anything else. 

It was the click of a phone camera shutter going off that let Yuuri know someone else had come up, looking up to see his sister with her phone out and a triumphant grin at managing a candid photo of three internationally ranked athletes stuffing their faces. 

“Mari!” Yuuri admonished, followed by a string of Japanese the other two didn’t need to understand in order to know he was probably telling off his sister. An impressive display of irritation only a younger sibling could pull off. 

“Hey Katusdon, teach me how to say that!” Yuri interrupted when Yuuri stopped his rant to take a breath, Mari doing nothing but smile slyly and hold her phone out of his reach so he couldn’t delete the absolute gold picture she had captured. 

The comment did make the annoyed skater notice he’d been ranting, and visibly rein himself back in as he switched over to English with a slightly red face, “I think you already being able to cuss someone out in two different languages is enough, don’t you?” 

“Hold it, that was swearing?” Viktor had to admit he was intrigued, thinking Yuuri was too polite to resort to foul language.

It was Mari who answered, not bothering to hide her amused tone, “Of course it was. Yuuri hates pictures, of any kind, but he hates the ones he doesn’t know are coming the most.” Her English was understandable, despite the thicker accent than her brother. 

Yuri burst out laughing, “Wait a second, you’re telling me someone who makes a living performing in front of cameras hates getting his picture taken?” 

“That’s different,” Yuuri defended himself half-heartedly, “At least when I’m skating I know the cameras are there. Plus, you saw me after the finals, it isn’t like I’m NOT affected by the attention at the rink.”

“So step one as your coach is to get you used to cameras,” Viktor stated decisively, like the finishing line of a debate that Yuuri didn’t remember entering in the first place. 

Yuuri’s rueful smile made the happy Russian droop a bit, “Viktor, I’ve been performing in front of an audience for ten years, and hated pictures for far longer than that, it would take some kind of miracle to change me now.” 

“Oh, I think we can work something out,” Now it was Viktor’s turn to look devious instead of Mari. “The key probably isn’t to change your fear, but to make performing more exciting than terrifying. You’ve always skated to please someone else, how about doing it because you love it?” Viktor was all too familiar with how disheartening it was to only skate for the approval of someone else. 

“You misunderstand something,” Yuuri slowly responded. “I like making people happy, and I want to please them with my skating. I can’t just not care what they think.” 

Viktor met Yuuri’s hesitance with a noticeable shift in mannerisms, eyes softening and bringing a hand up to softly caresses his cheek -Yuuri unconsciously leaning into the warm touch- showing he was taking the comments seriously which made a warm little bubble of happiness settle in Yuuri’s chest. “Yuuri, I can guarantee you will enchant everyone watching you as long as you skate from the heart and not your head. You put too much pressure on your shoulders when you carry the weight of their expectations. Take off what is pulling you down and you will soar higher and farther, and make people love you even more than they already do.” 

“You beat me today Katsudon,” Yuri grumbled as an addition to Viktor’s tender speech, “That wasn’t a fluke, so listen to the old geezer and just keep doing what you did earlier.” 

“I didn’t do anything special,” Yuuri started to protest, but when he saw the teen puffing up in rage again, he realized he was taking the wrong path and rushed to correct himself before Yuri could explode. “I just kept thinking about the story and how I was supposed to show my Eros to Viktor…” He trailed off suddenly as his own words caught up to him and he ducked his head down, hiding his face and steadily blooming blush. 

Viktor couldn’t stop the smile pulling at his lips, but he kept his tone gentle, “We could build on that you know. Instead of trying to please everyone, focus on just one.”

Yuuri looked up slowly, pale red still staining his cheeks as he continued to fight his blush away. “I think maybe we could try that.” He answered Viktor’s smile with a tiny one of his own.

Only for the spell to be broken by two camera shutters this time, Yuri simply stating, “If you keep being sappy in front of me, I’ll just have to get back at you this way.”

“Oh don’t worry Yurio, you’ll find someone someday,” Viktor teased and reached out to ruffle his still damp hair, making the teen bristle and berate him in a harsh mix of English and Russian, proving Yuuri right in that he could indeed cuss someone out in multiple languages already without having to add in Japanese. 

Not bothering to stop the two, considering Viktor had brought this rant on himself, gave Yuuri the chance to go over the conversation they’d just had again. For one, Viktor didn’t think he was a hopeless ball of anxiety, yet Yuuri still thought the man was underestimating the problem much like Celestino who had done his best to help Yuuri but was still missing something to get the Japanese skater truly comfortable competing. There was hope though, something warm and bright, though still such a small thing; because in embarrassing himself with his rambles he realized they had a point. The entire skate for Hotsprings on Ice was devoted to pleasing one single person, and he’d succeeded in keeping that said person next to him.

Maybe, just maybe, with Viktor’s help he could get back to loving the ice as much as he did when he was young and the performance anxiety hadn’t stolen it from him.


End file.
